Blue Story Banhammer

[ICTChris]

There has been controversy around the British movie Blue Story, with a number of cinemas withdrawing the film following violent incidents during screenings.  The most serious was in Birmingham where a number of teenagers were arrested for an incidents that featured machetes being used in a fight.  One cinema chain advised that they had up to 25 violent incidents at screenings.  Other cinemas are continuing to show the film with additional security being put in place, such as security guards or bag searches.

The films wirter and director Andrew Onwubolu, also known as Rapman, said the violence was unfortunate and said that his film is about love not violence.  The film is about two friends in South London on opposing sides of a conflict between street gangs.

There's a long history of films being pulled from cinemas for causing copycat violence - probably the most famous is CLockwork Orange, which was removed by Stanley Kubrick following apparent attacks by gangs of youths dressed as 'moogs'.  Going back further, Rock Around The Clock the movie was pulled due to rumbictious behaviour by young people at showings, although I don't think anyone got attacked with a machete.  We've also seen films censored by local councils for their apparent impact on public morality.  In the 1970s Glasgow City Council banned The LIfe of Brian from being shown in the city.  In the 1990s David Cronenberg's erotic thriller (about people who get sexually aroused by car accidents) Crash was banned by Westminster City Council.  

It isn't just films that have been censored in Britain.  The subgenre of British hip hop music drill has been subject to extraordinary levels of control from authorities.  One drill group were given an CBO (criminal behaviour order, the modern version of the ASBO) forbidding them from making music referencing postcodes or violence.  London also saw  regulations of club venues in the 2000s that effectively allowed the police to veto gigs by artists they found problematic.  This had a particular impact on grime artists who found their gigs objected to repeatedly by the police.

We often hear about censorhip and impact to freedom of speech when it comes to things like social media mobbing or people being 'cancelled' for making comments seen as beyond the pale.  I think there is a lot to that but it's strange that some of the most egregious censorship seems to pass without comment. 

Have any P&Bers ever attacked anyone with a machete at a cinema?

Have any P&Bers ever banned something?

What things would P&Bers like to ban?

[Shandon Par]

They were Droogs, not moogs. 

After a showing of Rocky V in Dunfermline in 1990 there were allegedly punchups outside. 

[Bigmouth Strikes Again]

It's all a load of yarbles.

[ICTChris]

19 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

 

They were Droogs, not moogs. 

 

Oh dear.  I clearly require re-education

 

[Florentine_Pogen]

Oh dear.  I clearly require re-education

OK, here’s a Moog primer for your edification.

[Gnash]

I'm not qualified to talk about the merits of stopping screening the film (not banning it, there is a difference), but I'm hearing a lot of noise about how this is a 'racist' decision by the cinema companies.  One comparison I've hear more than once is with the mass shooting at the cinema in Colorado showing The Dark Knight Rises, which didn't prompt any cinema chains to stop screening the film.

One tweet on the point read: "There was literally a mass shooting during The Dark Night Rises and that wasn’t pinned on White people and their media wasn’t banned? Absolute joke."

This is a ridiculous comparison for a number of reasons:

1. The decision to stop screening Blue Story was made by cinema chain in the UK, in response to incidents in the UK.  The incident at The Dark Knight Rises involved a different cinema chain in a different country.

2. There were several violent incidents that led to the decision.  If screenings continued it looked like violent incidents would continue to occur, and the cinema chain has a duty of care to its staff and customer.

3. The USA incident was a single, isolated incident, involving 1 perpetrator, who was caught after the incident.  There was no suggestion that any similar incidents were likely to happen again at showings of the film.

This comes across as some people with a large chip on their shoulder looking for any excuse to play the race card.

[Derry Alli]

"12 u18 tickets for Blue story, please."

Wee p***k. 

[philpy]

I'd happily kill noisy eaters at the cinema with a machete.

[Priti priti priti Patel]

31 minutes ago, Gnash said:

This comes across as some people with a large chip on their shoulder looking for any excuse to play the race card.

This comes across as someone who quite obviously doesn't walk in those shoes but is willing to judge their mindset anyway.

Don't be a dummy.

[johnthebaptistist]

Imagine a film about street gangs and violence being hijacked by violent street gangs, organised publicity stunt for exposure IMHO

[Cardinal Richelieu]

 

2 hours ago, ICTChris said:

In the 1990s David Cronenberg's erotic thriller (about people who get sexually aroused by car accidents) Crash was banned by Westminster City Council.  

I went to see Crash when it came out in the cinemas. It was the first film I've ever considered walking out of. 

Not because I was offended (It was pretty tame tbh). It's just that it was utter utter bollocks. 

[Shandon Par]

45 minutes ago, Dele said:

"12 u18 tickets for Frozen 2, please."

FTFY

[Dons_1988]

20 minutes ago, Margaret Thatcher said:

This comes across as someone who quite obviously doesn't walk in those shoes but is willing to judge their mindset anyway.

Don't be a dummy.

Loads of people make spurious claims such as that on social media, I don't see why it can't be challenged. The comparison is ridiculous.

[welshbairn]

17 minutes ago, Cardinal Richelieu said:

 

I went to see Crash when it came out in the cinemas. It was the first film I've ever considered walking out of. 

Not because I was offended (It was pretty tame tbh). It's just that it was utter utter bollocks. 

Great book though.

[D.A.F.C]

Ftfy

[Jacksgranda]

1 hour ago, Gnash said:

I'm not qualified to talk about the merits of stopping screening the film (not banning it, there is a difference), but I'm hearing a lot of noise about how this is a 'racist' decision by the cinema companies.  One comparison I've hear more than once is with the mass shooting at the cinema in Colorado showing The Dark Knight Rises, which didn't prompt any cinema chains to stop screening the film.

One tweet on the point read: "There was literally a mass shooting during The Dark Night Rises and that wasn’t pinned on White people and their media wasn’t banned? Absolute joke."

This is a ridiculous comparison for a number of reasons:

1. The decision to stop screening Blue Story was made by cinema chain in the UK, in response to incidents in the UK.  The incident at The Dark Knight Rises involved a different cinema chain in a different country.

2. There were several violent incidents that led to the decision.  If screenings continued it looked like violent incidents would continue to occur, and the cinema chain has a duty of care to its staff and customer.

3. The USA incident was a single, isolated incident, involving 1 perpetrator, who was caught after the incident.  There was no suggestion that any similar incidents were likely to happen again at showings of the film.

This comes across as some people with a large chip on their shoulder looking for any excuse to play the race card.

Surely not

[pozbaird]

In answer to the OP.

1. No, I have never attacked anyone in a cinema with a machete. I did once accidentally drop a Kia Ora orange and a bag of Crusader nuts on the carpet of the Kelburn cinema in Paisley. The staff weren’t happy, and suggested that I go to the Raj Indian restaurant, right around the corner from this cinema, right after the show.

2. Yes, I have banned something. Farting in the bedroom.

3. What would I like to see banned? Farting in the bed itself.

 

Next questions please.

[Dons_1988]

1 minute ago, pozbaird said:

2. Yes, I have banned something. Farting in the bedroom.

3. What would I like to see banned? Farting in the bed itself.

 

Next questions please.

What a fucking killjoy

[pozbaird]

3 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

What a fucking killjoy

It’s not so much the farting that gets me, it’s the trying to blame it on the cat that gets me riled. Grounds for divorce.

[Priti priti priti Patel]

37 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Loads of people make spurious claims such as that on social media, I don't see why it can't be challenged. The comparison is ridiculous.

Even if it is a ridiculous comparison, that doesn't mean Gnash or you or anyone else is well placed to judge that the mindset behind it is "people with a large chip on their shoulder looking for any excuse to play the race card".

The reality of being black in the UK is so different to the reality of being white in the UK. To make a statement such as that ^ is either dumb, if you fail to realise they will have been shaped by different experiences to you, or uncaring, if you don't give a f**k about that and just want to judge them according to your own perspective.